Implementing Docs as Code from Scratch in a Product Team: From Idea to a Proven Workflow

B2B products of IT companies often require documentation so that client-side specialists can work effectively with the product. ALD Pro is one of such products. 

This talk shares how, in just 3 months, our team transformed over 1,000 scattered A4 pages into a unified, automated documentation system based on the Docs as Code approach. The core of our work involved converting textual, visual, tabular, and other materials into reStructuredText (rST), storing them in a Git-based version control system, and setting up automated builds for both PDF documents and a web-based Help Centre. We faced several non-trivial challenges: training colleagues to work with rST and Git, customising PDF styles to meet GOST standards for certified documentation, and developing a sustainable workflow for technical writers and analysts.

In this talk, we’ll cover the problems we encountered and how we solved them, what didn’t work, how much effort it all required, and how to delegate this work when time is tight.